2 Strand Twist

by Woodsbum

I got into a discussion the other day about natural cordage and 2 strand twists. Now, I am not the best person at natural cordage because I tend to over stress the material and break it. This has led me to practicing with man made cordage. At the end of this post are three videos. Two are about making cordage out of natural materials and one shows how to do the 2 strand twist with man made materials to get the technique down.

In my area, nettles are very common and easy to harvest. Cordage material is in no short supply here, which is lucky for me considering how much I break. Lots of material really are necessary to practice with to become even slightly proficient.

To effectively find cordage materials, just go out and see what is available in your area. Most plant materials that pulls apart into long strands of fiber can usually be twisted and made into a cordage of some sort. The last video gives you a look at how to strip willow bark for use.

Here is the practice video to show you how the whole 2 strand twist works and is done.

This video shows how to use nettles to make cordage. Be sure you are careful when you strip the fibers off the plant. I tend to break them more often than not. Just practice and be careful.

This last video shows you how to strip willow bark for cordage material.

The techniques seen in this video should give you enough of a basic knowledge to go out and do some testing of different materials in your area. Just go out and have some fun!

1911 Grips

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by Woodsbum

At this year’s Black Friday sale, I purchased a Para Ordnance Expert 1911 in stainless steel. The pistol feels nice and shoots quite well, but aesthetically it isn’t quite as “pimped” out as I would have liked. I guess I can’t complain too much considering the price I paid, but still I would prefer to have this pistol much more eye catching. To accomplish this I did a little shopping and decided to start my upgrading process with the grips.

Stock Para Ordnance Expert

Most grips you find online are the same design just resold by a different vendor. Not much variation seems to exist considering I wanted something obnoxious with skulls. Then I stumbled across this SPD Custom Grips place out of North Carolina. It looks like most of their products are for paintball, but they did have some grips for real handguns that look pretty redneck pimp. This is what I ordered and for a reasonable price.

SPD Custom Grips Kit

Now swapping out grips on a 1911 is almost USAF proof. It is just two screws per side and then popping the grips off the bushings. It’s a very easy and simple process.

When putting these grips on, the spacers are said to be required. Unfortunately the spacers don’t fit the grip lines exactly so there is an overhang on the edge of the grip. I will end up having to go buy a bushing tool and different bushings for low profile grips from Brownells or Midway to skip the spacers altogether.

Ill fit between grip and spacer

You can also see how thick this makes the handle of the pistol. This really isn’t that comfortable anymore so it will need to be fixed. The price for firearm fashion, I guess.

I will order my bushing parts sooner than later, but after I get my .50 BMG out of layaway and pay for some ammo I committed to purchasing. Once I get the bushings taken care of, I will do another post about that in case anyone runs into this problem like I did.

The overall appearance of the pistol after the grips is pleasing to me. The next upgrades I will do include swapping out all the black parts for stainless. This includes the main spring guide, beavertail, safety, slide release and mag release. I will leave the black trigger and hammer for accent, however.

Grips installed

EMP Los Angeles Book Review

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by Gunguy

I came across EMP Los Angeles purely by accident on Amazon. I read the Kindle version last year and I was impressed with its gritty authenticity. The book follows three groups; a policeman trying to get home, his wife and child trying to survive at home, and those police officers left at his station house. It uses a typical 1-2-3, 1-2-3 style throughout, and it is very exciting. Initially I thought the book would benefit from editing but I gave Frank LaFlamme some leeway as it is his first book. Luckliy for those who haven’t read it the second edition is out and most of my complaints have been addressed.

The author Frank LaFlamme is a retired LA Sheriff’s Deputy, and unlike other authors he is writing about things with which he has personal experience. He may not have experienced the collapse of the LA power system, but many years of working in rough areas of LA have given him insight into the realities of street life and many individual incidents are based on incidents he or his colleagues experienced.

I’m a big fan of Post Apocalyptic fiction. The genre has expanded in recent years due to fears of the economy collapsing, global pandemics and National Geographics Doomsday Preppers. I read the books and watch the movies for entertainment value and I find the tough situations that the writers put their characters in very interesting. Most books are from a preppers perspective or someone who has gotten lucky. There are no books out there from a Law Enforcement Officers perspective during a shit hits the fan situation. That’s why I found EMP Los Angeles so interesting and exciting to read. I recommend it highly.

Traditional Finnish Log Home Building

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by Woodsbum

I have been waiting for what I considered “the perfect time” to post this video It is about log home building in Finland. Their use of hand tools is simply amazing. I can only dream of ever getting as good with an axe as these guys. Their ability to hack out HUGE chunks of wood with such precision makes this one of my favorite videos.

Hopefully you find this video as fascinating and enjoyable as I do.

Scotch Auger

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by Woodsbum

Finding new and exciting tools to play with is almost an obsession for us “outdoorsy” types. New styles of axes, knives, saws, and the sort are always sought after and prized. A couple years ago I found a hand tool that I had never known about. The Scotch eyed auger is a sort of drill that can be used to drill holes in wood for such projects as stools, mallets, etc. At the end of this post I included two videos of people building nice projects with theirs. Unfortunately I have not built any “project” items with mine, but use mine for building cooking frames, drying racks, or privacy shelters while out in the field. I don’t tend to take pictures of those. Once you see the tool and how it is used, you will see the countless uses you would have for such a tool while in the field.

Here is what a Scotch eyed auger looks like.

Scotch eyed Auger

It has a large eye at the top for inserting branches into as a way to make a handle.

Scotch eyed auger

The end is just a screw point and cutting surface that is surprisingly sharp and easy to sharpen. Very simple idea and concept, but also very effective.

Scotch eyed auger

Again, the possible uses are countless. Here are two videos of people using an auger to make different projects. Tools such as mallets in addition to the framed structures I make for around camp are simple with one of these augers. I have also seen people make various different types of camp furniture with these things. The sky’s the limit!!!

Enjoy the videos I found. If you want to buy a Scotch auger, EBay and UK Amazon are your best bets. I got mine shipped from the UK for about $20 total price.